AiE Chapter 8: Boundaries

As the sun rises in Ponyville the large body of light shines bright orange rays over the buildings; bathing everything in it's warm and bright essence.
As the sun continued to rise a large oak tree stood in the middle of Ponyville, this was the town library, and home of Twilight Sparkle.
Anonymous was currently being held in the upper bedroom of the house, as the sunlight hit his face he stirred slightly before awakening from his slumber.
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>You feel something on your face as you open your eyes; it was hard, cold, and kind of scaly like fish. You glance to the right to see a bright blinding yellow light shining through a small window; this wasn't the best of ideas, as your pupils shrunk from the sudden intake of sunlight.
"Ugh! It burns..."
>You quickly sit up and cover your face from the sudden rush of pain your eyes were giving you when a familiar hard object landed on your hand.
>It was a purple tail of some sort, as you hold the tail up you notice it was connected to a small dragon sleeping soundly beside you.
>After looking at the creature for a minute you begin to recall what happened before you passed out. You and Applejack were walking to Twilight's house when this little guy suddenly stopped you, after introducing yourselves to each other you felt a pain in the back of your head and passed out.
"Did I get hit on the head or something?"
>You reach behind your head, but there wasn't any indication of being hit; no bruises, no aches, or pain were felt as you rubbed the back of your skull.
>So what could've done it?
>You shrug your shoulders in defeat; figuring you'd soon find out what happened anyways. For now finding out just where in the world you were came first, and why were you in the bed with a small male dragon anyway?
>You get up from the bed to look around only to be pulled to the ground by a familiar clinking sound; a large black chain with a large cuff was attached to you leg...again.
"Oh what the hell is this!?"
>You had already proven your innocence to Celestia, and there was no way in hell you'd be held against your will again unless you deserved it.
>You immediately concentrated and felt your left hand begin to warm up, you then proceed to grab and crush the large black cuff in your hand.
>???: "Ah you're awake; good morning Anonymous"
>You turn your head towards the voice to see someone emerge from the stairway; it was Twilight, although she seemed kind of...off to you.
>Her straight mane was ruffled and frayed, and her voice was a little shaky.
"Twilight? What in the world happened? Why was I chained to the bed?"
>Ts: "Well I couldn't have you running off or disappearing on me again, so I decided to chain you to the bed for your own good."
>Your confusion quickly turned into realization, and then into anger.
"You were the who knocked me out Twilight?"
>Ts: "I had you take a little nap;  it makes things easier."
"Why would you do this Twilight!?"
>Twilight sparkle(Ts): "I looked all over for you Anon, but nopony had seen you after that big incident with Rainbow Dash; so I started asking my freinds for help, and this is the hilarious part; they ALL had seen you at some point! Fluttershy had taken care of you and last seen you leaving Rarity's boutique with new clothes, and from there I managed to track you to Pinkie; who had seen you heading to MY house after she fed you! So when I heard her say that I raced towards my house to find you and Applejack, but I couldn't have you running away again. That would make me even MORE tardy, and then I couldn't report to the princess, and then PRINCESS CELESTIA WOULD HATE ME ALL BECAUSE YOU HAD TO--"
>Twilight had been cut short by you smashing the broken pieces of the cuff on the wall behind her, venom dripped from your voice as you slowly rose from the bed you had been confined to.
"So let me get this straight, after I spent ALL DAMN DAY looking for you I come to your house and you knocked me out?
>You glared at the purple pony as you ground the chains your hand into bits, the small black chunks hit the floor as you stand up.
>Twilight seemed to instantly snap out of whatever mental state she was in when she heard you; she then started to shrink away as you advanced towards where she stood.
>Ts: "W-wait Anon I..."
"What Twilight!? What POSSIBLE reason could you have for just ATTACKING me!? AND THEN you chain me up like some fucking lab rat!?
>Ts: "I d-didn't mean it like that Anon, honestly!"
"Oh you didn't mean it huh!? Well what the hell did you mean!!?"
>Ts: "I...I"
"You know what? All I wanted to do was find you so I could start my community service and get on with my LIFE!! Was that too much to ask!? The only reason I didn't immediately come back that day was due to the fact I had completely EXHAUSTED myself trying to avoid being CRUSHED ALIVE by one of your freinds!! OH! And let's not forget about the one who KIDNAPPED me while I was searching for you!!"
>Twilight had stopped talking at that point; she merely stood there shaking with small tears running down her face as she looked at you with pleading eyes.
"But you know what? I could've let go of all the shit that happened the other day, because most of the people or ponies...whatever you call them, were all kind hearted. They approached and helped me regardless of how I looked, and for that I'm grateful to them. YOU however have succeeded in being of the very few ponies to piss me off since coming to Equestria!! You struck me in the head with magic and drug me back to your house!? And for what!? So you wouldn't be tardy!? Am I some sort of project to you!?
>Twilight hung her head low as tears ran down her face, she had stopped shaking but began crying while you glared at her.
>Ts: "Anon...*hic* I-I'm sorry..."
>She then broke down into full blown sobs as she hid her face behind her hooves; constantly muttering "sorry" while shaking her head.
>You needed to get some distance between you and Twilight so you could cool off, you quickly spot your bag in the corner of the room and head to the stairs.
>Twilight noticed you were moving so she stopped crying for a minute and followed you down the stairs to the door.
>Ts: "Anon where are you going!!?"
"Somewhere I can clear my head."
>Ts: "But what about your--"
>You slammed the door behind you in the middle of Twilight's sentence; the last thing you felt like doing was community service.
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>You walked down the street while holding your hand across your face; you didn't mean to snap at Twilight like that. It was just the way everything happened, the stress from the crazy situations you were in had built up and you took it out on her.
>Shure Twilight was a little...eccentric, but so was Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie, and just like them you were shure she had good intentions at heart.
>Twilight just got a little carried away; however, she did manage to hit a nerve with you. Being held against your will was something you had grown a resentment to from your childhood, and it seems like old scars still show even to this day.
>You stop and take a look at where exactly you were; getting lost in this town was extremely easy for you. You look back over your shoulder to see a large building surrounded by small stands, you recognized this place as the central plaza.
>You and Fluttershy had walked through here, so evidently Twilight's house was near the heart of town. That explains why you didn't see her house; you took off in the opposite direction after exiting Rarity's shop. You begin walking forward again as you clear your head of anything relating to yesterday and this morning, looking back on what could of happened doesn't really change the current situation.
>For now you just wanted to walk around and find something to do in your leisure; something that didn't involve your "punishment".
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>As you continued walking the sun shined brightly overhead; creating an intense heat around the area. You didn't mind the sun much however; heat was something you were familiar with feeling, and this was no different.
>You were walking down a dirt trail that led out of town, green hills and a windmill could be seen in the distance.
"Hmmm, I feel like I've been here before."
>The surrounding area did look familiar, but you couldn't quite put your finger on who exactly lived out here.
>Suddenly a white rabbit shot out from a bush and hit you in the face.
"ARRGH!"
>The rabbit then quickly grabbed your bag while you were stunned, and quickly took off towards a nearby house. You lay there for a minute; stunned by the assault, and the fact that a little white rabbit just jacked you for your stuff.
"WHAT JUST HAPPENED!?"
>Did I?....Did that rabbit!?..."
>You jump to your feet and run after the little furry white robber; you had important stuff in there from Celestia, and you weren't about to let anyone just take it.
>The rabbit was fast as hell, it was dodging any obstacles in its path by flipping in the air, sliding away from it, or just plain hopping over it.
>You were in hot pursuit of the furry bandit as you bustled down the dirt road; the rabbit then took a quick turn to the left, and up a small hill where a small cottage sat.
"I will DESTROY that damn rabbit when I get my hands on it!!"
>You speed up to the cottage the rabbit ran in and start banging on the door.
>Was this rabbit someone's pet?
>Does that mean someone trained him to rob people?
>Just then the door opened slightly; you look down to see Fluttershy peeking at you from the crack of the door.
"Fluttershy? What are you doing here?"
>Fluttershy(Fs): "Umm, don't you remember Anon? I live here."
>You take a step back and realize that this was indeed Fluttershy's cottage, just outside the town and near Everfree forest.
>How come you didn't recognize this earlier?
>Were you that distracted?
>Fs: "Anon? Are you okay?"
"Huh?"
>Just like that you had managed to trail off again; you really needed to stay out of your head today.
"Sorry for disturbing you Fluttershy; I was chasing a rabbit who stole my bag and he just ran in your cottage."
>Fs: "Oh my! Angel just came in with a bag, I thought somepony gave it to him as a gift..."
>Fluttershy then opened the door for you to come in; you ducked your head before stepping into the small cottage, so you wouldn't hit the doorway. From the looks of things she was getting ready to feed the little animals again; small birds, squirrels, ducks, and chickens all waited eagerly around their tiny bowls for food.
>Fs: "Make yourself at home Anon, I'll be right back."
>Fluttershy then floated upstairs while you sat on the small couch in her living room, after a few moments you begin to hear Fluttershy talking to who you assume was Angel.
>Fs: "C'mon Angel; you didn't mean to take that bag from Anon, right?...Oh,...oh you did?...well, umm..that wasn't nice Angel, you should to apologize to Anon...you refuse?..oh, well..um...I think you should return it anyway and ask Anon nicely if you want something...w-wait..Angel w-what're doing!?..No this isn't nice Angel! Stop it!..eep!"
"What the heck!?"
>You jump up at Fluttershy's sudden scream and rush up the stairs towards the sound of her voice. You then round the corner at the top of the stairs and bust through her bedroom door.
"Fluttershy are you okay!? I heard--"
>You were cut off by a carrot that flew threw the air, you lean to the side as the carrot sped past your ear and into the wall behind you.
>The carrot stayed in the wooden wall, it was almost as if the rabbit had threw a knife.
"What kind of carrots can penetrate wood!?"
>You turn back towards the bedroom to see Fluttershy completely bound by rope to a small wooden chair, and the same black beady eyed rabbit was standing on the bed beside her.
"Fluttershy that thing has you tied up."
>Fs "It's okay Anon; Angel is just a little upset that he has to give back your bag."
"But you can't move at all, aren't you afraid he might hurt you?"
>To your surprise Fluttershy actually smiled and giggled a little.
>Fs: "No, Angel cares about me, he may be a little rough but I know he wouldn't harm me."
"That's not the point! He doesn't have the right to tie you up and hold you against your will like that."
>Fs: "Anon, Angel has been with me for a very long time. I trust him like family, and I know in my heart that he wouldn't hurt me."
>Fluttershy then turned to the rabbit who was scowling menacingly at you.
>Fs: "Angel, would you please show Anon why I trust you?"
>Angel the took a carrot out from behind him and cut the rope wrapped around Fluttershy, the rabbit then proceeded to dust Fluttershy off as she stretched her yellow wings.
>Fs: "See Anon? I knew Angel wouldn't hurt me, he was just playing."
>You hung your head low in defeat; this was gonna take a long time to get used to. This wasn't normal at all, but then again what had been normal since coming here?
"Alright...since you say it's fine I'll drop it."
>Fluttershy looked at you for a second with those large sparkling teal colored eyes of hers; she then slowly hovered towards you before speaking.
>Fs: "Anon is there anything wrong?"
"Nothing...it's just I had a little problem with Twilight earlier."
>Fs: "What kind of problem?"
>You thought twice before telling Fluttershy about your problems, she had better things to do anyways."
"Nothing, don't worry about it Fluttershy. I should probably get going..."
>You started to turn around but Fluttershy gently placed a hoof on your shoulder, you turn to see her face etched in worry.
>Fs: "Anon, please tell me what's wrong...it would worry me more if you just left without saying anything."
"Thanks Fluttershy, but I don't like being a burden to others so--"
>Fs: "It's not a burden Anon, I care about your problems because I care about you."
>It was strange having someone you met a short time ago actually care about your problems; plus you had never really even had anyone to take the time out to listen to you.
>That is, until you came to Equestria.
"Okay, since you insist I'll tell you what happened."
>You then sat down on her bed while she sat in the chair beside you; patiently awaiting for you to start talking. You then proceed to tell her about what happened earlier; how you woke up chained to the bed, how you found out Twilight knocked you out, how you snapped and yelled at Twilight, and how you stormed off into the city.
>Fluttershy never interrupted once, and waited a few minutes before she replied.
>Fs: "Anon, I know Twilight can be a little, umm...odd sometimes, but nopony is perfect. We all have some sort of fault that others accept, I myself have been known to be a little..aggressive."
>You almost laughed at that last part.
>Fluttershy?
>Aggressive?
>She must have been joking; though she did have a point when she said everyone had faults that others deal with, the concept was a little foreign to you however. Since people just beat the shit out of you if they found something about you they didn't like.
>Fs: "Just try to understand Anon, princess Celestia is very important to Twilight; she admires everything about her, and just wants to make the princess proud. Twilight doesn't want to hurt anypony, and she definitely wouldn't hurt you Anon."
>You and Fluttershy sat in silence as you contemplate the advice handed to you.
"So what do you think I should do Fluttershy?"
>The yellow mare looked at the ceiling with her hoof under her chin in thought for a second before looking back at you.
>Fs: "I think you should both apologize to each other and make up, and I think that with time you both would be good freinds."
"*sigh* Thanks for the advice Fluttershy, I think I know what to do now."
>You get up from Fluttershy's bed and head downstairs towards the door; it took a couple of minutes, but eventually Fluttershy emerged from upstairs carrying your bag that Angel stole.
"Oh man, I almost forgot about my bag. Thank you Fluttershy."
>You take your bag from Fluttershy and step out of the cottage, it was surprising to see that the sun was setting.
>Just how many hours did you spend talking to Fluttershy?
>Fs: "I hope everything works out for you Anon, and anytime you need somepony to talk to, you can always find me here."
>You turn back and hug Fluttershy, you must of surprised her as you see the yellow mares wings stiffen up.
>Fs: "Oh! Ummm, Anon!?"
"Thank you Fluttershy, it means alot to me."
>You walk away from Fluttershy's cottage as the orange tinted sun began to sink under the horizon; you felt alot better than you did this morning, and now you were gonna find a way to apologize to Twilight.
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>You take your time walking back towards town; and you didn't have much to your name besides what you got from Celestia...speaking of which just what was in the bag anyway?
>Seeing as you fought tooth and nail for this thing, you now found it pretty silly to not know what had been inside the bag the whole time. You open the top of your bag and peek inside; finding a large sack of gold coins, a silver bracelet, and three books.
>The letter inside the bag was addressed to you from Celestia, so you took it out and began reading it as you walked.
>Dear Anonymous,
>I present you with this bag of supplies in hopes that it makes your time in Ponyville easier; I can imagine you would have a tough time fitting in. The residents of Ponyville may be wary of you at first, but as long as you show them you aren't dangerous then everything will be fine. In the blue sack inside the bag you will find two thousand "bits", this is the currency used in Equestria, and should help you buy necessities for awhile. The silver bracelet included in the bag is a magical counter; when you put it on it displays the number of community service hours you have left. You can take the bracelet off anytime you want to and it is not mandatory to wear. Also there are three books inside the bag, you may recognize them as the ones I showed you in the palace. You may read them in your free time, and  they are also yours to keep. On a side note please try to get along with Luna; in a way you and her are a lot alike. I want you to treat the community service not as a punishment, but as a chance to grow and learn about the magic of friendship. There is alot you could learn in Equestria that you couldn't on Earth; and finally I want you to treat Twilight with care, she was similar to you when she first arrived in Ponyville; though she started learning about the wonders of friendship and has been steadily improving over time, instead of being wrapped up in books all day. I'm hoping that with time, the kindness and friendship that helped Twilight can help you as well Anonymous.
>Sincerely Yours,
>Princess Celestia.
>P.s. On the other paper included in the letter is a small list of ponies I think you should meet; they will each count as ten hours off your community service.
"Hmm, looks like thats it."
>It still amazed you to no end at how caring most of the ponies here were, this definitely wasn't Earth. Had a small talking pony landed on Earth it would've been taken to a secret army base and dissected for research.
>You decided that you would give Twilight half of your bits and the books you owned as repayment for how you went off on her. It still bothered you about being held prisoner again, but as long as she promised never to chain you to anything ever again then things would work out between you two.
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Anonymous put all the items back into his bag and withdrew the list Celestia included with the letter; he then widened his eyes in disbelief  as he suddenly took off running to Twilight's house.
"I don't even believe I went through all this crap, and all of it could've been avoided if I looked in the damn bag from the start!"
Anonymous spotted the large tree shaped house and ran up to the door; he then proceed to knock on the small oak door. It took a couple of minutes of knocking but eventually Twilight cracked the door slightly.
>Twilight Sparkle(Ts): "The library is closed...wait, Anon?"
"Yeah it's me, umm...can I please come in for a second?"
Twilight was surprised at what you just asked, but still let the door open as you walked into the house.
Books were scattered everywhere on the floor, and scrolls were balled up and laying in a pile near a small wastebasket. One particular stack of books on the table caught your attention, they all had similar titles such as "Mending Relationships 101" or "Personal Boundaries: How To Identify And Avoid Them".
This didn't really help Anonymous feel better, knowing that she was trying her best to find out how to say sorry. Anonymous turned and looked at Twilight who was silently staring at him, her eyes were a little red and her mane was curled and messy.
"Twilight I'm sorry that I snapped like that at you, I just have issues I need to work on."
>Ts: "Anon--"
"And I know I dissapeared that day, but believe me I searched everywhere looking for you."
>Ts: "Anon!"
"So that's all I came to say, and I have something I would like to give--"
>Ts: "Anon!"
>Anonymous stopped talking and looked at Twilight, she actually had a small smile on her face.
>Ts: "I thought you were still mad at me when you came back, I was worried you wouldn't forgive me. I know I had no right to chain you up or knock you out, I just didn't know what to do and I couldn't find you, but I want you to know that I would never do anything to hurt you Anon."
Anonymous sat down on the floor beside Twilight and crossed his legs.
"Then I guess we're both sorry, how about we agree to try this living arrangement out again?
>Twilight's face lit up in a bright smile as she walked over to where Anonymous sat.
>Ts: "I think I would like that, but only if you don't mind doing some work around the library."
"It would be my pleasure, oh yeah! By the way Twilight, about the community ser--"
>Ts: "Anon it's been a long day for the both of us, how about we just eat and call it a night?"
"Umm, are you shure you don't wanna read this?"
>Ts: "We can always get to it tomorrow, besides I can always report to the princess later. Let's go out into the town to eat, c'mon Spike!"
Suddenly the small dragon Anonymous met from the night before raced down the stairs.
Spike(S): "Oh boy! Where are we going to eat tonight!? I wanna go to that place that serves the fancy gems!..Oh hey Anonymous! What's up?
Anonymous smiled as he laid his bag and the note on the floor before standing up.
"Nothing much Spike, just hungry as hell."
>S: "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
And with that Anonymous, Twilight, and Spike left out the door and into Ponyville for dinner. As the note Anonymous left on his bag opened the names of six ponies can be seen with the words "ten hours" beside them.
Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack were the names of these six ponies; it was almost like fate that these were the very first ponies Anonymous met since coming to Ponyville.
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End Of Chapter 8: Boundaries